ANDREW Marr has been accused of giving Jacob Rees-Mogg an easy ride on his new radio show after grilling the Tory minister about his choice of trousers.

Marr pointed out that Rees-Mogg has a "certain image of languid, old fashioned, traditionally dressed, not much like modern Britain".

Permanently formally dressed Rees-Mogg responded: “Why would I want to?”

Marr then asked: “You’ve never thought to kick back, put on a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt and put your feet on a piece of furniture?”

The minister answered: "Well, I might do the latter".

"Famously you have done the latter," Marr said, referencing the time Rees-Mogg was criticised for slouching in the Commons.

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Marr added: "Have you always been that way, was there a moment when you looked in the mirror and thought this is the kind of person I aspire to be?"

Rees-Mogg responded: "I've been asked that question before and I think the most obvious answer is: do you think anyone would have decided to adopt the image that I have if it hadn’t been what they really were?

"I think it would have been eccentric to choose to, it's just how I am."

"I don't find what I might call ordinary clothes uncomfortable," he later added.

The interview was criticised by the public on social media, with many criticising Marr's choice of questions.

Andrew Parnall said: "When Andrew Marr left the BBC for LBC I thought he might at last speak truth to power and be a tough interviewer, challenging and questioning lies and misinformation."

Chris Jarvis said: "Perhaps has BBC editorial control has always prevented Marr from pursuing the line of questioning which would have established definitively if JRM owned a pair of Levis. Great journalism from Marr."

D Mac said: "The problem is Marr's show format is all about the political big dog guests. None of them will go on if they are slightest bit challenged or going to get a tough time as accountability isn't high up there list. Unless they change the format then this is what we are going to get."

Eri Tudor added: "A missed opportunity. If he was going to call anyone a liar for lying I would have thought Rees-Mogg would have been an excellent candidate!"

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Later in the interview, Rees-Mogg defended the Prime Minister's decision to visit Saudi Arabia, stressing the UK needs to move away from Russian oil and gas.

He said: "Saudi Arabia sits on very large reserves that will have an effect through the oil price on the living standards of people not just in this country but globally."

The trip comes just days after Saudi Arabia executed 81 people and with the kingdom still the subject of international outrage following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018.

But the MP pointed out that the UK has working relationships with countries across the globe that impose the death penalty, including the US and China, but said the UK Government is against the form of punishment.

He added: "We have to deal with the world the way it is, not the way we would like it to be."

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